Tips for Keeping Backyard Hens

Everyone knows how passionate I am about gardening and growing-your-own — but I am equally as passionate about keeping backyard hens. Growing up, I don’t think — no, I know — my parents never even considered raising chickens; therefore, everything I’ve learned about them has come from my own research and trial and error. Backyard hens have been a part of my life now for the past few years, and I can’t imagine ever living without “the girls.”

So why should you bother keeping backyard hens?

How much time do you have to read this article? 🙂 No really…in all seriousness, there are a multitude of reasons to justify keeping a small flock of backyard hens, but here are few that I have discovered:

1. The eggs. Have you seen the prices on “organic, free-range” eggs! Wow! And with the labeling regulations the way they are these days, I don’t have much faith that the production methods used to raise the chickens really qualify as “free-range” in my book. Having a continuous supply of pasture, organic, free-range, and amazingly fresh eggs is enough motivation for me. There’s no comparison, in taste and nutritional value, between a battery system egg and one that is home-grown.

2. Fertilizer. Chicken manure is rich in nitrogen and phosphate — two compounds necessary for superior compost — and it will produce a garden like you’ve never seen!

3. For my children. Raising animals is something we value as a family. Not only does it teach our children discipline and responsibility, but collecting the eggs each morning helps them make the connection between food and how it’s produced.

4. Insect and weed control. Allowing the hens in the yard — and in the garden when I’m there to monitor them — helps improve their diet and decrease the pests that are out to get my veggies.

5. For the love. Early in the morning, when the first sounds are heard coming from the coop and I make my way to open their doors, I love to sit and watch them forage around. They are beautiful and interesting creatures!

Where should I start?

From a recent question that I posted to the wall of my Facebook page — asking if you kept hens — I realize that many of you are happy and seasoned chicken owners. On the other hand, there are many of you who are interested and learning.

No matter if you live in the city or in a small town, be sure to check your zoning regulations and verify that chickens are allowed.

Determine how many chickens you will need in order to meet your family’s nutritional needs. Most hens will lay approximately 250-300 eggs per year. Therefore, 4-6 hens should provide plenty of eggs for an average family.

Look to purchase day-old chicks or pullets (the term used when referring to a female chicken who has yet to start laying) locally at a hardware or livestock store. You can also talk to farmer’s at your local market to learn of breeders in your area. You can also order fancier birds online from places like My Pet Chicken, Cackle Hatchery, or McMurray Hatchery.

If you live in an urban or suburban area — and you are interested in raising chickens — you understand the plethora of consumer “must haves” targeted at us. Things like super cool $300 plastic coops and $10 bottles of egg-wash. (Trust me I am not knockin’ you if you have these items, I’m trying to illustrate a point.) All of this causes me to ask myself…If I need all of these things then where are the savings in raising my own chickens? I myself have been through the gamut of products, spent tons of money unnecessarily, and have come out on the other side wiser. Read more here…

Housing is a major consideration when starting on your journey to raising backyard hens. A good rule of thumb is 1 hen per 4 square feet. Although, the more the better. Healthy hens are generally a result of less stress and free space to range.

When designing your coop, you should plan on including at least one nesting box per 4 hens. They love materials such as straw, hay, or shredded paper as bedding and putting the boxes in a dark place in the coop — away from the majority of traffic — provides the comfort they need for excellent egg production.

Chickens need to be fed a diet rich in grass, insects, worms, and organic feed. Allowing the hens to free-range will create great foraging abilities, but you must also remain fully aware of how your chicken feed is grown and prepared — ensuring that it is GMO-free. I look at feeding my chickens like I do feeding my family…’cause in the end, they do. You could always look into making your own feed.

You do not need to keep a rooster in order for your hens to lay eggs…they do that part all on their own.

Be sure to clean out the coop once a week. A general cleaning should do just fine. Remember, most chicken diseases are caused from the stress of overcrowding. If your “girls” are allowed adequate time in the yard, well watered and fed, you should be blessed with happy and health birds. Read more here for more information about herbs for chicken health.

What if keeping hens isn’t an option for me?

One of the many disadvantages to our socitey’s hyper-urbanization is the lack of land available for gardening and raising animals to a large portion of the population. Before finding a way to keep our 3 hens, we had a friend who lived close by on an acreage and she willing allowed us to keep a few chickens on her property. Together we shared the cost, chores, and eggs! It was an great experience.

But if keeping hens just isn’t an option, make every effort to seek out locally produced eggs on small farms — farms that you can go and visit to inspect, for yourself, the production methods. Check out Local Harvest and search for “eggs” to find a farmer near you!

Now it’s your turn! Do you raise hens in your backyard? Share some of your tips for keeping them?

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Comments

Ashleysays

We love our girls! Currently have 2 one year old Buff Orpingtons who just started laying well with the nice weather. And we have 6 chicks in a brooder (barred rocks, rhode island reds, and australorps). As a family of four we consume so many eggs! Making everything homemade requires some eggs. And I love everything about them. I will never not have chickens. They make me so happy, my children adore them, and they are so funny with their personalities! Check out my blog post on our chickens at http://thebrowninghomestead.blogspot.com/ if you have some spare time. I love your blog and get so many great recipes/tips out of this! thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas.

I cannot WAIT until we can get chickens!!!! I want them so bad!! But we are not in a place that allows it so I just have to live through you and learn all I can until then. We do get our chicken meat and eggs from a lcoal farmer. Cannot believe the difference in the eggs – color, size, yolk color. When my dad visits, he complains about how hard it is to crack one. I believe it is because it is from healthy chickens!! 🙂

I was just going to blog about my friends’ “urban chicken” experience! It was wonderful! We all got involved in one way or another. I got pretty attatched to those chickens myself. Sadly the chickens were all sold last week 🙁 in preparation for my friends relocation to Mexico to pursue foriegn missionary service. We were so sad that none of the congregation could take them.

Julia MacNeilsays

I moved rurally last year and the FIRST thing I did was build a chicken coop. I currently have 14 ladies roaming my yard. I have only lost 3. One to the dog next door, one to a hawk and one mystery death. I think that is pretty good for my first try. I am amazed at how easy it is to get such a great reward. Now, if I could just get the to stop pooping on the deck!

Bethsays

I have had success with using pinwheels to keep my chickens away from plants I wanted to keep safe. I saw a tip by someone that they used pinwheels to keep birds out of their strawberries and thought, well, chickens are birds and it just might work. So I bought an armful and when the chickens came near as I was placing the pinwheels in my garden I would shake the pinwheel at them to make them skittish of coming near them. It worked! I put them around my strawberries and rhubarb plants, plus anywhere I had something growing that they might be interested in.

Julia MacNeilsays

That is brillian Beth….thanks so much!

Sandrasays

Pinwheels! That may be a good idea. We have had chickens for years, but this last bunch is in the habit of digging up the mulch around my house, even though we have 100 acres of farm they could roam. I get SO frustrated. I have been wondering if there is anything other than mulch or rocks (which I don’t want to use) to put around the house. Anyone have any other ideas?

Audreysays

I have been raising my own backyard hens for two years now. In the state of NH, there is a law that states chicks must be bought by the dozen. (?) Does anyone know why? Anyways, starting out with the dozen, immediately gave 5 away as my children had given me a (very) small coop for Mother’s Day. Long story short, I’m down to 2. I live in the country and have accepted the fact that if allowed to free range, along with that comes the food chain. Have learned since that day-old-chicks are sold by Mypetchicken.com in smaller quantities. I have ordered 3 Blue Silkies (hoping to get a Blue Splash!) and 2 White Crested Blue Polish hens. They arrive in August and the entire family can’t wait! Deciding which breed you want is a trial and error proposition. I’m refining my preference by personality and appearance, rather than a cold hardy or big egg producing breeds.

Just found your blog and love it! Seems we have much in common.

karensays

I love your blog………….great info! AND I love chickens………plan to have some one of these days when we settle down (in the military now).

my boxer is 6 and since she is deaf, chase is a fun game for her…and my lab mix, he’s 5 and I know he’s killed a rooster before(I know this because he brought it home, yuck)

Julia MacNeilsays

I have a 4 year old Jack Russel, one year old ausie and a new 3 year old daschund. I only got chickens last summer, so the ausie was a pup and the jack was full grown. The daschund has only been here two months and the chickens are bigger than her. They all seem to get along just fine.

go to my Sunny Knoll Farm site on facebook and see how to build a varmit proof chicken tractor.

Kimsays

I acquired 6 day-old chicks last June. They laid well through the winter and are still going. I had ordered five breeds – got four breeds. I didn’t get the Australorp or the Buff Opington. What I did get were Barred Rocks; Wyandottes; Auracana (cool green eggs); and a R.I. Red (mystery death). I selected breeds for cold-hardiness (Vermont winters); temperament (I have grandchildren); beauty; and egg production. We love the girls and they love roaming around. I don’t have an enclosed yard for them, but will have to set one up before the neighbors are back with their dogs… also there are raptors flying over fairly regularly.

I have only been into the Frugally Sustainable web for a bit over a month so it is great to know there is a chicken section. Keep up the good work.

We have chickens as well and are looking at getting about 6-8 more. I think we’re going to get chicks and raise them this time. In the past we’ve gotten them already 8+ months old. Which was nice for the immediate eggs we get, but I don’t want to spend the money for the already grown birds. They run about $15/each here. I love what you post. i’ll keep checking back.

Sandi

Sarahsays

We just got our first pullets 2 weeks ago. They are now 3 weeks old. We have 2 of them and the are doing great! I do have a question for you more experienced hen keepers. In our city, we are not allowed to let them “free range.” We have to keep them in a “chicken run.” How can I still get quality eggs from chickens even when they are not free range? We have not bought a coop/run yet, does anyone have a recommendation? Thanks!

Sarah

Sarahsays

I don’t have chickens but I am curious about owning them in the future…

Is there a minimum number of chickens one should keep, so that they are happy? Are they social creatures? I think my city has a maximum number of 3 chickens per household, which sounds like enough, but would a chicken be happy if they were alone? If you just had a pair? I don’t eat a lot of eggs and I don’t want more work than is necessary.

Lorisays

Sarah, best to get at least 2-3. Jens are social creatures. We had 2 that came with the small farm we bought and when 1 died (old age) the other pined and got seriously lethargic. We rescued another 2 and she perked right up. Even started laying again. We have 20 now. Love my girls

Lizettesays

Hello! Love this blog! Is there any way I can share posts on facebook? Or am I just missing it>

Heathersays

Why does it matter what breed the chickens are? I see so many people on here mentioning the breed as if it were important. Isn’t a chicken just a chicken?

Thank you for sharing your ideas in raising backyard chickens. A friend has been convincing us that raising chickens as pet is as fulfilling as raising dogs and cats, and you get the added bonus of being able to harvest fresh eggs and eat fresh chicken meat. I also heard that hens have distinct personalities and they are lovable too. So finally we are giving it a try, and is now consolidating our chicken coop plan. I will surely used this blog to find the information I need to guide us in our journey to living with chickens.

Genesays

Our chicken run (10×20), s former chainlink dog run, now is predator-proofed with 1/4 inch wire fabric that is embedded into the ground and wraps around the run. A corrugated roof keeps the run dry. The coop has been built to house 4 to 8 hens comfortably. But…we don’t have any chickens yet! It’s August and we are waiting until March to buy our chicks. We live in Sedona AZ where it’s 100 degrees during the summer months and 30 to 45 degrees in the winter so we want to purchase a breed that can survive these extremes. Any recommendations?